MLS Real Salt Lake

Real Salt Lake Sends Veteran Midfielder Dema Kovalenko to Los Angeles

Published on January 20, 2009 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Real Salt Lake News Release


SANDY, UT (Tuesday, January 20, 2009) - Real Salt Lake began a busy 2009 MLS SuperDraft day this morning by announcing the acquisition of allocation money and a conditional 2011 SuperDraft selection from the Los Angeles Galaxy in exchange for midfielder Dema Kovalenko. Per team policy, financial details of the allocation money received in the deal will not be announced. The trade was finalized in the hours prior to the start of last Thursday's MLS SuperDraft in St. Louis, pending player notification and paperwork processes at the League, Federation and FIFA levels.

Kovalenko, a 10-year MLS veteran, spent one season on the Wasatch Front with Real Salt Lake in 2008, notching one goal and a pair of assists while starting 19 of his 22 regular season appearances. The 31-year-old midfielder also continued his streak of playing in every edition of the MLS Cup Playoffs since joining the League in 1999 by helping RSL to its first postseason appearance, starting in two of the team's three playoff contests and scoring an important opening goal in a 2-2 draw at Chivas USA in Game Two of the Western Conference Semifinal Series that helped the Utah side advance to the Western Conference Championship and the brink of MLS Cup 2009.

Real Salt Lake will kick off the home portion of its 2009 schedule on Thursday, April 2, when the Utah side welcomes the defending MLS Cup champion Columbus Crew to Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy for an ESPN2 Primetime Thursday matchup.

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